a focus of the probe turned to his biographer, paula broadwell. >> i think it was a good distraction from the war. >> reporter: petraeus had been the public face of two wars. one of the architects of the successful surge in iraq, which helped bring the war there to an end. from iraq to afghanistan. then, the call to head the cia. >> are you ready to come back? ready for the cia? >> i feel very fortunate to have been provided such an opportunity to continue to serve and contribute, if confirmed. >> reporter: as he took over cia, holly, his wife of 37 years, stood by his side, as she had done so many times before. the two had met at west point. she was from a long line of army royalty. her great, great grandfather fought in the civil war. her own father was a retired four-star general. the president phrased the direct director's dead dedication and patriotism. and his thoughts were with dave and holly petraeus. now, it's the petraeus family that faces the strain of a deeply personal failure. but the nation's top spy has the to be above reproach. he had to go. such a revelation was simp